Microsoft Announces Streamlining Of Smartphone Hardware Business

[HardOCP News]

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday announced plans to streamline the company’s smartphone hardware business, which will impact up to 1,850 jobs. As a result, the company will record an impairment and restructuring charge of approximately $950 million, of which approximately $200 million will relate to severance payments. Microsoft anticipates this will result in the reduction of up to 1,350 jobs at Microsoft Mobile Oy in Finland, as well as up to 500 additional jobs globally. Employees working for Microsoft Oy, a separate Microsoft sales subsidiary based in Espoo, are not in scope for the planned reductions. As a result of the action, Microsoft will record a charge in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 for the impairment of assets in its More Personal Computing segment, related to these phone decisions.

 

[steakman1971]

I'm honestly still surprised they are in the mobile market. They have less than 1% of the market share. Call me crazy, but the better strategy would be to support Android and iOS (which they have been doing). It's an uphill bottle to increase your market share and even harder to convince developers they will have a decent ROI on the software they make.

 

[DPI]

"I wasnt fired.. I was streamlined".

God those corporate assholes and their buzzwords.

 

[Ordeith]

I'm honestly still surprised they are in the mobile market. They have less than 1% of the market share. Call me crazy, but the better strategy would be to support Android and iOS (which they have been doing). It's an uphill bottle to increase your market share and even harder to convince developers they will have a decent ROI on the software they make.

Then you're even more surprised that Google continues plodding forward with ChromeOS?

 

[heatlesssun]

I'm honestly still surprised they are in the mobile market. They have less than 1% of the market share. Call me crazy, but the better strategy would be to support Android and iOS (which they have been doing). It's an uphill bottle to increase your market share and even harder to convince developers they will have a decent ROI on the software they make.

First all, layoffs suck and all the best to those
Windows 10 pretty much combines the desktop, mobile and other form factors. And while far from a silver bullet, there's at least now a Windows mobile platform that can is for more than just Windows phones. Of course there's a lot of people that don't that, the Windows Store and other mobile elements being added but they aren't totally without some benefit outside of mobile, Surface and 2 in 1s devices for instance.

As long as mobile and phone development can break even or at least not hemorrhage money, Microsoft will have a Windows mobile/phone platform. But obviously its market share there means that Microsoft will have to support iOS and Android for if it wants and its apps and services to get much play, which they are doing pretty aggressively now.

 

[Ur_Mom]

I'm honestly still surprised they are in the mobile market. They have less than 1% of the market share. Call me crazy, but the better strategy would be to support Android and iOS (which they have been doing). It's an uphill bottle to increase your market share and even harder to convince developers they will have a decent ROI on the software they make.

Honestly, they don't care about the mobile market. Those that work on it do, but everyone else just doesn't care. Windows Phone always seems like an afterthought with Microsoft when you talk with them (any employee). Even those that work on some of the apps (Groove Music on WP & Desktop) feel that the phone OS is just there and not really a big deal. With Windows 10, you could see and feel the passion they had while they were developing it and releasing it. They loved what they were doing, and they were putting that love into the product. With Windows Phone, they were creating a product. They were tasked with it, and they are doing it. It's like taking out the trash - it's a necessary thing that brings no joy.

I love the Windows Phone OS. It's a great OS. It's just not going anywhere. It's slow for updates, little vendor or carrier support, tiny (and slow growing) app store, buggy... It needs help, but no one wants to help it.

They either have to go all in and put a lot more resources into it and invest some money and developers into it or just drop it. I've been a long time supporter of Windows Mobile and Windows Phone. It's just not a good option anymore. :/ Sad, too. It could have been great. It just wasn't meant to be, I guess.

 

[DPI]

They either have to go all in and put a lot more resources into it and invest some money and developers into it or just drop it. I've been a long time supporter of Windows Mobile and Windows Phone. It's just not a good option anymore. :/ Sad, too. It could have been great. It just wasn't meant to be, I guess.

Eh, they already dropped it. Long ago. It was dropped as soon as Nadella stepped into the oval office. Not sure how much more obvious it could be. Do people really expect them to press release an official "we dropped it" statement? Not gonna happen as long as they are legally obligated to support it with security updates.

All I mind is that they continue to terrorize desktop customers with the UWA app shit, when the whole point was to try to take a shortcut to appstore relevance through the installed desktop base. No need anymore for shitty XAML smartphone apps. Have a windows store, fine, but sell Win32 programs and not watered down touch crap.

 

[heatlesssun]

Have a windows store, fine, but sell Win32 programs and not watered down touch crap.

It's not an either or proposition anymore. Touch devices, specifically 2 in 1s are the fastest, indeed the only growing, category of Windows devices on the market currently. Touch enabled apps are critical for these devices. And there's actually a decent number of them out there now, at least for x86 Windows devices that can also leverage those apps.

 

[Xrave]

Goodbye Nokia, it was a great run.

 

[steakman1971]

Then you're even more surprised that Google continues plodding forward with ChromeOS?

ChromeOS is a puzzle to me. However, my mother-in-law has a computer using it. It's perfect for her. It lets her check email and she hasn't found a way to screw it up yet.

 

[Ordeith]

ChromeOS is a puzzle to me. However, my mother-in-law has a computer using it. It's perfect for her. It lets her check email and she hasn't found a way to screw it up yet.

and it escapes you that there might be people using Windows Phone with a similar experience? It does all the phone things very well, and has a decent web browser. If your needs fit what's available the $30 Lumia 640 is a tremendous value.

 

[DrLobotomy]

and it escapes you that there might be people using Windows Phone with a similar experience? It does all the phone things very well, and has a decent web browser. If your needs fit what's available the $30 Lumia 640 is a tremendous value.

I am one of those people. I have a Lumia 521 and has been a pretty much bullet proof phone for several years now. Works well for wifi for my netbook when I'm out on the road and the battery life is pretty good. Also I am one of those peeps who refuses/cant spend $500-$800 on a high end phone. I don't understand AT ALL what the complaints are about the app store. There is sooo much selection. I really don't understand what people exactly WANT on their phone that isn't already out there in about 12 versions. And this IS Windows I am talking about.

 

[heatlesssun]

I don't understand AT ALL what the complaints are about the app store. There is sooo much selection. I really don't understand what people exactly WANT on their phone that isn't already out there in about 12 versions. And this IS Windows I am talking about.

There are a lot of things that just are on Windows Phones because of the small user base. Banking, airlines, there's not even a first party Snapchat app. But there's still a lot there. But there's more and more stuff going mobile, even with no web alternative, and that stuff just isn't getting to Windows Phones. So apps are a the biggest problem but plenty of people could would still be fine with a Windows Phone. The next biggest problem is carrier availability. In the US, Windows Phone is gone from Verizon. That's just not going to work and I have no idea why Microsoft didn't bring the Lumia 950/950xl to Verizon.

 

[Staples]

I've heard they will continue to develop Windows mobile. I think !S is the only one who makes Windows Phones so if streamlining means firing everyone like I think it means but inst clear, then what phones will be running Windows mobile?